All-Star Notebook

Martinez, Schilling get call on mound

Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 1999

BOSTON -- Although the All-Star Game's starting pitchers were just announced Monday, it had been obvious for quite a while that the Red Sox's Pedro Martinez would likely be the American League's starter.

"The starting pitcher has been no mystery -- Pedro Martinez," American League manager Joe Torre said. "And it was going to be Pedro, unless I didn't want to come to town."

National League manager Bruce Bochy named the Phillies' Curt Schilling as his starter over Arizona's Randy Johnson.

"I know Randy's numbers are not indicative of how he's been throwing," Bochy said. "Curt's had an extra day of rest and I thought I was better off with Schilling and thought I could get two good innings out of him."

Torre also announced that Rafael Palmeiro would be the starting designated hitter, taking the place of the injured Jose Canseco, and Harold Baines has replaced Canseco on the roster.

Houston's Jeff Bagwell will be the National League's starting DH, while Jeromy Burnitz of Milwaukee will start in left field in place of Tony Gwynn.

What could have been

During the stirke year of 1994, Sammy Sosa was traded to the Red Sox, but the deal was voided by baseball during the strike.

"I remember my agent and I were with (Red Sox general manager) Dan Duqette," Sosa said. "If I would have played here maybe I would have hit 72."

Sosa still is no stranger to Fenway Park; he started his career in the American League with the Texas Rangers and then the Chicago White Sox.

When asked if he had ever homered in Fenway, Sosa just laughed and said, "What a question."

Sosa's first major league home run was at Fenway.

"I remember my first one was against Roger Clemens and it was 104 miles per hour," he said. "When I hit that, my dreams came true. From that point on, I said I can play this game."

Trade rumors

Kansas City's lone All-Star said he has heard rumors that he may not be a Royal much longer.

"Cincinnati has talked about me and (Royal teammate Jeff Suppan)," said pitcher Jose Rosado. "We can't think about that. (The Reds) are a great team, but right now I'm in Kansas City."

He said he would accept a trade, but he is enjoying playing with the Royals, even though his team leads the league in blown saves with 21. That bullpen trouble is the main reason for his 5-6 record.

"We have a very good, young team," Rosado said of Kansas City, citing the play of rookies Carlos Beltran and Carlos Febles. "Some day they will be there with Roberto Alomar and Ken Griffey."

A new Fenway

Fenway Park, along with Tiger Stadium, is the oldest operating major league stadium -- both opened on the same day in 1912. And while Tiger Stadium is in its last year of service, Fenway is still not scheduled to meet the wrecking ball.

But there are plans for a new ballpark in Boston. The new park has not been approved by the city, but officials hope to have a new stadium in place by 2003.

Fenway Park is the smallest ballpark in the major leagues with a capacity of 33,871 people.

"No one wants to leave Fenway, but if the Red Sox are to be competitive, they need a new, state-of-the-art stadium," said American League President Dr. Gene Budig.

Even Carlton Fisk, whose home run of in the 1976 World Series became the stuff of legend, said that the Red Sox need a new ballpark, as has Boston icon Ted Williams.

The new park would be very similar to the old Fenway, with the same unique dimensions and a new "Green Monster," while keeping the old left field wall, the third base dugout, the manual scoreboard and Fenway infield at its current spot as an entranceway to the new ballpark. The new park would be just a block away, with home plate just 206 yards southwest of the current home plate.

The new ballpark would hold 38,000 in 2003 and 44,136 in 2004.

What a cartoon

Ken Griffey Jr. showed up late for the press conference for the managers and leading vote getters.

His excuse? Cartoons.

"My three-year old said, 'Dad, I want you to stay and watch cartoons with me,'" he said.

Larkin responded that he had several money managers and that he has his money in a bit of everything, though he's not a big stock-watcher.

"I'm more of a long-term, low-risk guy," he said.

Answer of the day

"Hell no."

That belonged to Texas' Rafael Palmeiro, when asked if he would have gone to Cuba with the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the season.

Palmeiro, a former Orioles player who was born in Havana and left Cuba with his parents when he was young to escape Fidel Castro's regime, said the Orioles embarassed Major League Baseball by losing to the Cubans.

"There's nothing to gain by that game," he said. "You had one team that was playing for its country and to show off to the world, and the other just wanted to go home."

He also said his parents were very upset by the game.

"I would like to ask a Jewish person if they would go play in Nazi Germany in front of Hitler," Palmeiro said.